UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans, center, takes a shot over UC Riverside guard Andrew Henderson, left, and forward Dylan Godfrey, right, during the first half of their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine forward Nes Emeneke, right, blocks a shot by UC Riverside guard Ben Waller during the first half of their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Boxed in by UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady, left, and guard Tyler Jones, right, UC Irvine guard Jovan Jester Jr. looks to pass the ball during their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady, center, loses control of the ball as he approaches the basket during their Big West Conference opener against UC Irvine on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans (14) blocks a shot by UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady, left, during the first half of their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine guard Jurian Dixon dunks during their Big West Conference opener against UC Riverside on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Riverside guard Marqui Worthy gets to the basket for a layup during their Big West Conference opener against UC Irvine on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine forward Harrison Carrington gestures to the crowd after scoring a basket during their Big West Conference opener against UC Riverside on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Riverside forward BJ Kolly, right, and UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans battle for a rebound during the first half of their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Riverside guard Andrew Henderson, center, tries to put up a shot between UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans, left, and center Elijah Chol during their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine guard Jurian Dixon lines up a shot during their Big West Conference opener against UC Riverside on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine guard Derin Saran, right, scores a basket in front of UC Riverside guard Marqui Worthy during their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Riverside guard Andrew Henderson, center, tries to get to the basket as UC Irvine forward Akiva McBirney-Griffin, right, stands in his way during their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine guard Jurian Dixon, left, drives around UC Riverside guard Andrew Henderson during their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) UC Irvine players cheer from the bench after a basket late in the second half of their Big West Conference opener against UC Riverside on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 15UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans, center, takes a shot over UC Riverside guard Andrew Henderson, left, and forward Dylan Godfrey, right, during the first half of their Big West Conference opener on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at the Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Expand IRVINE — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team knows how to get off to the right start. The Anteaters won their eighth straight Big West Conference opener with a 73-60 victory over UC Riverside on Thursday night at the Bren Events Center. Kyle Evans had 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, Jurian Dixon scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half, and Jovan Jester Jr. added 13 points off the bench for UCI (6-4 overall, 1-0 Big West), which was picked to finish first in the preseason coaches’ poll for the second consecutive year. “Great performance from Kyle Evans,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “He’s one of the most intimidating defenders in the country.” Marqui Worthy Jr. had 26 points and eight rebounds, and Osiris Grady scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half for UCR (4-5, 0-1), which was picked to finish ninth in the conference. The Anteaters took a 37-26 lead into intermission after leading by as many as 19 points during the first half. UCR twice cut the deficit to eight early in the second half, and UCI starting guard Derin Saran went to the bench with his third foul in the opening minute, followed by Dixon with his third with 17:53 left in the game. Andre Henry replaced Dixon and made two free throws to extend the lead to 43-31. Henry then set up Evans for a layup to make it 45-31. Harrison Carrington scored his first two baskets for UCI on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 50-34 with 14:26 left. UCR cut the deficit back to single digits for the final time with 8:07 left. “I’m looking critically at the competitive level that we didn’t always have tonight,” Turner said. “To win conference games, to win close games, we’re going to have to show a lot more improvement in some of the most competitive areas.” Henry, who finished with 10 points, was granted a sixth year of eligibility this season after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the Big West opener a year ago Friday against Cal State Bakersfield. Turner still considers Henry the best recruit he’s ever had in his 16 years at the school, luring Henry from La Cañada St. Francis, where he won the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award for CIF-SS Division II. Henry was not medically cleared until the fifth game of the season on Nov. 19 against Utah Valley. The 2023-24 Big West Defensive Player of the Year was limited to 11 minutes in the loss to Utah Valley, but he has gradually increased his workload and the Anteaters are beginning to find their footing. His biggest test so far came last week, when he played in back-to-back games in the Cancun Challenge against New Mexico State and South Dakota State, totaling 20 minutes in each game. UCR started 2 for 15 from the floor before finishing 8 for 26 in the first half. The Highlanders missed a couple of shots right at the rim early on as the Anteaters scored the first four points of the game. Evans, who came in leading the nation in blocked shots with 27, blocked a shot by Grady and scored off a feed from Saran on the other end to make it 6-2. Evans scored off another feed from Saran to make it 8-3. After another missed layup on a fast break by UCR, Dixon hit a 3-pointer on the other end to make it 11-3. The Anteaters shot 10 for 18 from behind the arc for the night. “I think this team can be a good 3-point shooting team,” Turner said. “I think we’re going to have to keep working to do that, but I thought that the work that we put in showed up tonight.” UCI took its first double-digit lead on two free throws by Jester with 13:21 left in the first half. Henry came off the bench and hit his first shot of the game, a fadeaway jumper from the baseline, to extend the lead to 15-5. “We were ready to play, executed our defensive game plan for the first 10 minutes of the game in a way that probably took a little bit out of them,” Turner said. Henry then swished a 3-pointer from the wing to extend the lead to 19-5 with 9:48 left in the half. After two missed free throws by UCR, Dixon hit a second-chance 3-pointer after Tama Isaac ran down his own missed 3-point attempt to make it 22-5 with 9:10 left in the half. Dixon hit his third 3-pointer in the first 12 minutes without a miss to push the lead to 27-9. Jester sank another 3-pointer to give UCI its biggest lead of the first half at 30-11 with 5:44 left, but UCR finished with a 15-7 run over the final five minutes. The Highlanders cut their deficit to single digits before Evans made another layup off an assist from Saran with five seconds left. Related Articles UCLA men’s basketball gets to experiment in exhibition win over UC Irvine ...read more read less